Doctor Coldtouch - The Interview

Mike from Doctor Coldtouch was kind enough to answer a few questions for The Drawer. First you'll need to hit play on the bandcamp player below and checkout their EP on Bandcamp. Then as your ears are awash in the sounds of the good Doctor you can check out what Mike had to say about the band, where they're from and where they're going.


 
The Drawer - We'll start with some basic stuff, How long have you been playing together, where are you from and, If you don't mind, where did the name Doctor Coldtouch come from?

 The trio's been playing together for about a year now.  My brother John and I have been jamming for years now in a number of different bands, Doctor Coldtouch being our latest project with the addition of bassist Joe.  All three of us grew up in central NJ. As far as the name goes, (while it would be fun to keep some mystery intact) i think its better to clarify the story as opposed to having people assume we're a band of gynecologists. The name comes from the psuedonym Joe gave to some guy his friend's mother was having an affair with. He claims that this strange man "made no introduction aside from an unsettlingly frigid handshake". He also swears that the man entered the house late one night and pressed his finger gently to his lips before vanishing into the dark hallway. It's been debated whether or not he did so by gliding without moving his legs. The stories of Doctor Coldtouch often refer to him with varying levels of magic abilities. So basically Doctor Coldtouch is a real dude. Whether he's a human being or some sort of malevolent spirit however, has simply never been answered.

The Drawer - You guys play some pretty technical stuff, how long have you been playing your instruments?

I've been playing guitar for 12 years, and John about the same on drums. But Joe's only been playing bass since the band formed, having been a guitarist since 15 or so.

The Drawer - How well are you able to pull of your songs live as a 3 piece? Listening to the EP it sounds like you should have a whole pile of guitar players.

We were actually slated to be a four-piece, originally, but I think it worked out for the better.  Two guitars would have either muddied the live sound, or completely redefined the writing process.  In practice, the most challenging part of recreating the EP on stage is keeping everything super tight.  With only three members, there's not a lot of cushioning for fuck ups.

The Drawer - I hear several influences in your sound, you guys describe yourselves as if "Rush had grown up  listening to Cannibal Corpse," other than those two, what bands are out there current/past that have influenced you?

The Coldtouch sound is a weird one to try and pinpoint.  Obviously The Fall of Troy and Protest the Hero have been tremendously influential for us, as well as bands like Dream Theater and Coheed.  But at the same time we each dig on such different shit, from The Faceless and Decapitated to The Mars Volta and Glassjaw. I think that's why I love this project so much.  Because we don't have any one sound, and we get to condense all of these genres that we love down into a capsule of scary fun.  

The Drawer - How about lyrically, what influences you?

I really like telling stories with each song.  Vocalists like Trevor Strnad of Black Dahlia, or Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me are just excellent at spinning these epic tales, and doing so in as few words as possible.  And as grandiose as these concepts can get, they never lose the human aspect that makes a song so powerful.  I try to bring that same idea to the table lyrically.

The Drawer - What albums are you guys listening to at the moment?

A friend just burned me a copy of Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn, and that won't be leaving my car stereo for another week or so. John's been fixated on the new Daft Punk CD, and Joe listens almost exclusively to rap music.

The Drawer - What's next for Doctor Coldtouch? Playing locally?

We're in the process of organizing a small tour of the Northeast with our friends in Lightning Lord and SYKA, aimed at the middle/end of August.

The Drawer - If you could tour with anyone who would it be?

I don't know, I like to think we could fit in well on any bill.  Maybe Slayer.  Or Morris Day and the Time, that dude knows how to party.

The Drawer - Are you guys looking for a label or are you content to continue the DIY approach?

We are definitely open to the idea of a label and the next tier of musical professionalism.  But at the same time, we love doing what we're doing, and if at the end of the day I have a few more stories to tell, I'll be a satisfied man.

The Drawer - Are there physical copies of the EP?

Na.  We tried handing out simple burned copied of our EP at the last show.  No one seemed really into it.  It seems a better move now to keep the music itself digital, and focus on printing up some sweet shirts and other garments. 

The Drawer - Any plans for a full length in the future?

Absolutely.  We've already got two new tracks done, and few more working their way through the writing process.

The Drawer - You guys alternate between screams and clean singing, do you favor one style over the other?

I can't specify any preference between the two.  I think both can evoke some kind of feeling, and it's really at the music's discretion on which fits best.

Speed round stuff:
Favorite Band: The Black Dahlia Murder
Favorite Record: Thick as a Brick
Favorite Book: The Necronomicon 
Jelly or Jam? Pass
Favorite Television show? Full House

I think Mike's having a go at me there with his Black Dahlia Murder answer. Clearly the correct answer to the favorite band question is Jessie and The Rippers.

So there you go. Check these guys out if they come near you this Summer or if you're in the Jersey area.